CIA World Fact Book, 2004/Djibouti


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!| Background:
 * The French Territory of the Afars and the Issas became Djibouti in 1977. Hassan Gouled APTIDON installed an authoritarian one-party state and proceeded to serve three consecutive six-year terms as president. Unrest among the Afars minority during the 1990s led to multi-party elections resulting in President Ismail Omar GUELLEH attaining office in May 1999. A peace accord in 2001 ended the final phases of a ten-year uprising by Afar rebels. Djibouti occupies a very strategic geographic location at the mouth of the Red Sea and serves as an important transshipment location for goods entering and leaving the east African highlands. GUELLEH favors close ties to France, which maintains a significant military presence in the country.
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!| Location: !| Geographic coordinates: !| Map references: !| Area: water: 20 sq km land: 22,980 sq km !| Area - comparative: !| Land boundaries: border countries: Eritrea 109 km, Ethiopia 349 km, Somalia 58 km !| Coastline: !| Maritime claims: contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm !| Climate: !| Terrain: !| Elevation extremes: highest point: Moussa Ali 2,028 m !| Natural resources: !| Land use: permanent crops: 0% other: 99.96% (2001) !| Irrigated land: !| Natural hazards: !| Environment - current issues: !| Environment - international agreements: signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements !| Geography - note:
 * Eastern Africa, bordering the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea, between Eritrea and Somalia
 * 11 30 N, 43 00 E
 * Africa
 * total: 23,000 sq km
 * slightly smaller than Massachusetts
 * total: 516 km
 * 314 km
 * territorial sea: 12 nm
 * desert; torrid, dry
 * coastal plain and plateau separated by central mountains
 * lowest point: Lac Assal -155 m
 * geothermal areas
 * arable land: 0.04%
 * 10 sq km (1998 est.)
 * earthquakes; droughts; occasional cyclonic disturbances from the Indian Ocean bring heavy rains and flash floods
 * inadequate supplies of potable water; limited arable land; desertification; endangered species
 * party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution
 * strategic location near world's busiest shipping lanes and close to Arabian oilfields; terminus of rail traffic into Ethiopia; mostly wasteland; Lac Assal (Lake Assal) is the lowest point in Africa
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!| Population: !| Age structure: 15-64 years: 53.7% (male 131,320; female 119,387) 65 years and over: 3.1% (male 7,327; female 7,153) (2004 est.) !| Median age: male: 18.8 years female: 17.7 years (2004 est.) !| Population growth rate: !| Birth rate: !| Death rate: !| Net migration rate: !| Sex ratio: under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.1 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.02 male(s)/female total population: 1.06 male(s)/female (2004 est.) !| Infant mortality rate: female: 97.54 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.) male: 113.3 deaths/1,000 live births !| Life expectancy at birth: male: 41.83 years female: 44.44 years (2004 est.) !| Total fertility rate: !| HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: !| HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: !| HIV/AIDS - deaths: !| Major infectious diseases: overall degree of risk: high (2004) !| Nationality: adjective: Djiboutian !| Ethnic groups: !| Religions: !| Languages: !| Literacy: total population: 67.9% male: 78% female: 58.4% (2003 est.)
 * 466,900 (July 2004 est.)
 * 0-14 years: 43.2% (male 101,168; female 100,545)
 * total: 18.3 years
 * 2.1% (2004 est.)
 * 40.39 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)
 * 19.42 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)
 * 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)
 * at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
 * total: 105.54 deaths/1,000 live births
 * total population: 43.12 years
 * 5.48 children born/woman (2004 est.)
 * 2.9% (2003 est.)
 * 9,100 (2003 est.)
 * 690 (2003 est.)
 * typhoid fever, malaria
 * noun: Djiboutian(s)
 * Somali 60%, Afar 35%, French, Arab, Ethiopian, and Italian 5%
 * Muslim 94%, Christian 6%
 * French (official), Arabic (official), Somali, Afar
 * definition: age 15 and over can read and write
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!| Country name: conventional short form: Djibouti former: French Territory of the Afars and Issas, French Somaliland !| Government type: !| Capital: !| Administrative divisions: !| Independence: !| National holiday: !| Constitution: !| Legal system: !| Suffrage: !| Executive branch: head of government: Prime Minister DILEITA Mohamed Dileita (since 4 March 2001) cabinet: Council of Ministers responsible to the president elections: president elected by popular vote for a six-year term; election last held 9 April 1999 (next to be held NA 2005); prime minister appointed by the president election results: Ismail Omar GUELLEH elected president; percent of vote - Ismail Omar GUELLEH 74.4%, IDRIS Moussa Ahmed 25.6% !| Legislative branch: elections: last held 10 January 2003 (next to be held NA January 2008) election results: percent of vote - RPP 62.2%, FRUD 36.9%; seats - RPP 65, FRUD 0; note - RPP (the ruling party) dominated the election !| Judicial branch: !| Political parties and leaders: !| Political pressure groups and leaders: !| International organization participation: !| Diplomatic representation in the US: FAX: [1] (202) 331-0302 telephone: [1] (202) 331-0270 chancery: Suite 515, 1156 15th Street NW, Washington, DC 20005 !| Diplomatic representation from the US: embassy: Plateau du Serpent, Boulevard Marechal Joffre, Djibouti mailing address: B. P. 185, Djibouti telephone: [253] 35 39 95 FAX: [253] 35 39 40 !| Flag description:
 * conventional long form: Republic of Djibouti
 * republic
 * Djibouti
 * 5 districts (cercles, singular - cercle); 'Ali Sabih, Dikhil, Djibouti, Obock, Tadjoura
 * 27 June 1977 (from France)
 * Independence Day, 27 June (1977)
 * multiparty constitution approved by referendum 4 September 1992
 * based on French civil law system, traditional practices, and Islamic law
 * 18 years of age; universal adult
 * chief of state: President Ismail Omar GUELLEH (since 8 May 1999)
 * unicameral Chamber of Deputies or Chambre des Deputes (65 seats; members elected by popular vote for five-year terms)
 * Supreme Court or Cour Supreme
 * Democratic National Party or PND [ADEN Robleh Awaleh]; Democratic Renewal Party or PRD [Abdillahi HAMARITEH]; Djibouti Development Party or PDD [Mohamed Daoud CHEHEM]; Front pour la Restauration de l'Unite Democratique or FRUD [Ali Mohamed DAOUD]; People's Progress Assembly or RPP (governing party) [Ismail Omar GUELLEH]; Peoples Social Democratic Party or PPSD [Moumin Bahdon FARAH]; Republican Alliance for Democracy or ARD [Ahmed Dini AHMED]; Union for Democracy and Justice or UDJ [leader NA]
 * Union for Presidential Majority UMP (coalition includes RPP, FRUD, PPSD and PND); Union for Democratic Changeover or UAD (opposition coalition includes ARD, MRDD, UDJ, and PDD) [Ahmed Dini AHMED]
 * ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AFESD, AMF, AU, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGAD, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ITU, LAS, NAM, OIC, OPCW (signatory), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO
 * chief of mission: Ambassador ROBLE Olhaye
 * chief of mission: Ambassador Marguerita RAGSDALE
 * two equal horizontal bands of light blue (top) and light green with a white isosceles triangle based on the hoist side bearing a red five-pointed star in the center
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!| Economy - overview: !| GDP: !| GDP - real growth rate: !| GDP - per capita: !| GDP - composition by sector: industry: 15.8% services: 80.7% (2001 est.) !| Population below poverty line: !| Household income or consumption by percentage share: highest 10%: NA !| Inflation rate (consumer prices): !| Labor force: !| Labor force - by occupation: !| Unemployment rate: !| Budget: expenditures: $182 million, including capital expenditures of NA (1999 est.) !| Agriculture - products: !| Industries: !| Industrial production growth rate: !| Electricity - production: !| Electricity - consumption: !| Electricity - exports: !| Electricity - imports: !| Oil - production: !| Oil - consumption: !| Oil - exports: !| Oil - imports: !| Exports: !| Exports - commodities: !| Exports - partners: !| Imports: !| Imports - commodities: !| Imports - partners: !| Debt - external: !| Economic aid - recipient: !| Currency: !| Currency code: !| Exchange rates: !| Fiscal year:
 * The economy is based on service activities connected with the country's strategic location and status as a free trade zone in northeast Africa. Two-thirds of the inhabitants live in the capital city, the remainder being mostly nomadic herders. Scanty rainfall limits crop production to fruits and vegetables, and most food must be imported. Djibouti provides services as both a transit port for the region and an international transshipment and refueling center. It has few natural resources and little industry. The nation is, therefore, heavily dependent on foreign assistance to help support its balance of payments and to finance development projects. An unemployment rate of 50% continues to be a major problem. Inflation is not a concern, however, because of the fixed tie of the franc to the US dollar. Per capita consumption dropped an estimated 35% over the last seven years because of recession, civil war, and a high population growth rate (including immigrants and refugees). Faced with a multitude of economic difficulties, the government has fallen in arrears on long-term external debt and has been struggling to meet the stipulations of foreign aid donors.
 * purchasing power parity - $619 million (2002 est.)
 * 3.5% (2002 est.)
 * purchasing power parity - $1,300 (2002 est.)
 * agriculture: 3.5%
 * 50% (2001 est.)
 * lowest 10%: NA
 * 2% (2002 est.)
 * 282,000 (2000)
 * NA
 * 50% (2000 est.)
 * revenues: $135 million
 * fruits, vegetables; goats, sheep, camels
 * construction, agricultural processing
 * 3% (1996 est.)
 * 180 million kWh (2001)
 * 167.4 million kWh (2001)
 * 0 kWh (2001)
 * 0 kWh (2001)
 * 0 bbl/day (2001 est.)
 * 11,300 bbl/day (2001 est.)
 * NA (2001)
 * NA (2001)
 * $155 million f.o.b. (2002 est.)
 * reexports, hides and skins, coffee (in transit)
 * Somalia 63.9%, Yemen 22.5%, Ethiopia 4.7% (2003)
 * $665 million f.o.b. (2002 est.)
 * foods, beverages, transport equipment, chemicals, petroleum products
 * Saudi Arabia 19.7%, Ethiopia 10.9%, China 9.2%, France 6.5%, UK 5.1%, US 4.9% (2003)
 * $366 million (2002 est.)
 * $36 million (2001)
 * Djiboutian franc (DJF)
 * DJF
 * Djiboutian francs per US dollar - 177.721 (2003), 177.721 (2002), 177.721 (2001), 177.721 (2000), 177.721 (1999)
 * calendar year
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!| Telephones - main lines in use: !| Telephones - mobile cellular: !| Telephone system: domestic: microwave radio relay network international: country code - 253; submarine cable to Jiddah, Suez, Sicily, Marseilles, Colombo, and Singapore; satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) and 1 Arabsat; Medarabtel regional microwave radio relay telephone network !| Radio broadcast stations: !| Radios: !| Television broadcast stations: !| Televisions: !| Internet country code: !| Internet hosts: !| Internet Service Providers (ISPs): !| Internet users:
 * 9,500 (2003)
 * 23,000 (2003)
 * general assessment: telephone facilities in the city of Djibouti are adequate as are the microwave radio relay connections to outlying areas of the country
 * AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 0 (2001)
 * 52,000 (1997)
 * 1 (2002)
 * 28,000 (1997)
 * .dj
 * 702 (2004)
 * 1 (2000)
 * 6,500 (2003)
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!| Railways: narrow gauge: 100 km 1.000-m gauge note: railway under joint control of Djibouti and Ethiopia (2003) !| Highways: paved: 364 km unpaved: 2,526 km (1999 est.) !| Ports and harbors: !| Merchant marine: by type: cargo 1 (2004 est.) !| Airports: !| Airports - with paved runways: over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1524 to 2437 m: 1 (2004 est.) !| Airports - with unpaved runways: 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 5 under 914 m: 3 (2004 est.)
 * total: 100 km (Djibouti segment of the Addis Ababa-Djibouti railway)
 * total: 2,890 km
 * Djibouti
 * total: 1 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 1,369 GRT/3,030 DWT
 * 13 (2003 est.)
 * total: 3
 * total: 10
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!| Military branches: !| Military manpower - military age and obligation: !| Military manpower - availability: !| Military manpower - fit for military service: !| Military expenditures - dollar figure: !| Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
 * Djibouti National Army (including Navy and Air Force)
 * 18 years of age (est.); no conscription (2001)
 * males age 15-49: 108,771 (2004 est.)
 * males age 15-49: 64,540 (2004 est.)
 * $26.5 million (2003)
 * 4.4% (2003)
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